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3 Mets players traded away before they ever played a game for the team

By Tim Boyle

15 Jul 1998: Catcher Charles Johnson #26 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action behind the plate during a game against the San Francisco Giants at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Giants defeated the Dodgers 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Ha
15 Jul 1998: Catcher Charles Johnson #26 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action behind the plate during a game against the San Francisco Giants at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Giants defeated the Dodgers 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Ha /
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Mets
30 Apr 1998: Infielder Joe Randa of the Detroit Tigers in action during a game against the Texas Rangers at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Rangers 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport /

Joe Randa was traded to the Mets on 12/4/1998 and traded away to the Kansas City Royals on 12/10/1998

I already mentioned how active the Mets were after the 1998 season. Coming as close as they did without making the postseason will do that to a team. Just a few days after acquiring Johnson and then flipping him for a closer, the team made a not-so-successful move. This one began with the Mets acquiring third baseman Joe Randa from the Detroit Tigers for Willie Blair.

Randa would never see the field as a member of the Mets. Less than a week later, the Mets traded him to the Kansas City Royals, the team he debuted with, for Juan LeBron. Mr. LeBron was anything like the NBA star that has the rights to the name. He never made it to the major leagues.

Randa, on the other hand, would hit over .300 in the next two seasons and continued playing in the major leagues through the 2006 season. He didn’t really have much of a purpose on the Mets heading in 1999 with Robin Ventura already on the roster. The Mets must have really liked LeBron to make this trade.

The other part of this trade, Blair, wouldn’t have much success in Detroit. Working as a starter and reliever, he went 3-11 with a 6.85 ERA in 1999.

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